Improvement in machinery for making ropes



UNITED STATES A PATENT EEICE.

EDSVARD S. TOVNSEND, OF PALMYRA, XS-SIGN OR TO CHARLES DRFEE, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING ROPES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 3,9311, dated February 28, 1845.

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD S. TowNsEND, of Palmyra, in the county of Wayne and State of New York, have invented a new and useful set ot machines for manufacturing of ropes of any length desired with formed strands, called Townsends Machines for Making Full-Length Railroad-Rope without Splicing or Lacing, of which the following is a full and exact description with drawings attached.

The forming-machine is marked in the drawings No. 1, and is designed to form the yarns into strands and to reel them upon the spindle. It is huilt upon the frame A, with wheels B tted to travel on a railway. This frame has raised upon it uprights and bearings O, upon which rest the spindle D and shafts. The power to give motion to the Inachine is applied -hy a band on the extensiondrum lV on the end of shaft E. On the shaft E on each side the center are two bevel-wheels F F, working into a bevel-wheel Fd on the end of spindleD, and giving right-and-left motion to said spindle :for twisting or forrning the strand hy the application of clutchbox and lever G, which works on shaft E between bevel-wheels F F, and lings into gear or out Fcl, as is necessary; also, a shaft .Lon which is a drum for a ground-rope to pass round, which hauls the machine when forining the strand, and is put in motion by spurwfheel on shaft E working into wheel H on shaft J. On the end of this ground-rope shaft J is ahevel-wheel which connects and worksinto the two bevel-wh eels A B A B on the screw-shaft, which cause the screw M to revolve with lever P and clutch-box to give right or left motion to said screw or llingit out of gear. The screwlvl passes through the nut Y, to which nut Y a snatclrblock N is made fast, so that when the screw revolves the block Ninoves right or left, as is wanted, and is intended to guide thestrand in being reeled on spindle D. 'lhereis also a revolution given to spindle D Afor reeling strands by the wheel on shaft E and the'short shaft O O with the wheels l( and Z. The screw and gearinglast described are for reeling the strands as they are formed, andare fitted to tling out ot' motion, and are not used in forming the strand. The thread of the screw being three-fourths of an inch, in revolving` twice while the spindle D revolves hut once, it lays a strand of one and a half inch in diameter on spindle with accuracy. The spindle D which contains the strand rests at the forward end ou friction-rollers, has a metal capQ with spiral groove to admit the strand without interfering with its hearings in its revolutions, and has a projection R forward, to which V.to attach the strand when hauling up when forming.

.Manner of using-The wheels F F Fcl, in motion by the aid of drum "W on shaft E, give the twist for forming strand, and are in use with the grou nd-rope drum, by which the inachine is hauled up the railroad. Vhen as far as is wished, this motion is flung out of gear by lever and clutch G. Then the end of the strand is passed through the snatch-block N, and the wheels marked L, K, and Z are tlung into ygear by moving the short shaft marked O O, also the gearing ot the screw M, and the forming-machine returns t0 its starting-point, reeling up the formed strand as it returns. This motion is again dung out, and the strand taken from the snatch-block is laid down in the groove and made fast to forward projection marked R, when another portion ot the strand is formed, which is again reeled in like manner with the former. When these processes have been repeated until the desired length is formed and reeled, the strand so formed is ready to be transferred to one of the spindles in drawing No. 2, preparatory to the process ot laying into rope.

Drawing No. 2, hereunto annexed, represents a laying-machine used to give the fore- `turn tothe strands when laying into rope. It

is huilt upon a fra1neO,with wheels P to run upon a railway. lt is propelled by extension-drum A on the end of shaft B, contains three spindles O on proper supports N, with metal caps Q, with a spiral groove to admit strands, with projection forward R to attach when laying into rope, with bevel-wheels on the shaft- B to convey the motion to the three spindles C, which is done by bevel-wheel E and spur-wheel F working with wheels G G G. These are fitted with clutch-box and lever, so that eac-h spindle G can be flung out of gear when required.

llfaimer of yusi/ng.-The strands as they are vformed on No. lare transferred to spindle C. They are laid into rope in such lengths as railway permits at a time, a part of the,

strand being left on the spindle while part is beinglaid into rope. Before laying, the strands are hauled up and attached to machine No.

3, the spindle which is to contain the rope .No 3. After this length is laid into rope each strand is detached from its fastening and the rope is reeled on machine No. 3, the spindle C on machine No. 2 ruiming off another length of the strands, and so on until the whole rope is finished, being laid in portions, yet of continuous length.

' Machine No. 3 is built upon bearings A, with-upright timbersBfor support of spindle C, and drum E, with bevel-wlieels F F on shaft G. This machine is to contain the rope as laid and works in connection with machine No. 2, giving the aftcr-tiirn by a band passing around the drum E, in laying into rope, which band receives its motion from steamengine or whatever is used as the motive power. The spindle C in No. 3 is made with Aspiral groove at forward bearings Rv to admit rope without any interference in'revolving, with a forward projection to fasten rope in laying. After a length of rope is laid, this machine giving the after-turn, the rope is taken from its spiral groove, detached from the projection, and is brought at right angles with spindle and passed through a snatch-block to the spindle. The spindle revolving by the drum winds it upon itself, the snatch-block moving backward and forward parallel with spindle by adopting the screw-geariiig similar to No. l. As the rope laid is thus reeled a new length of strands ru'ns off of No. 2 and is hauled up the walk ready for laying. The rope near iinlaid strand is again laid in the groove forward and fastened and another length is laid, and so on until all is finished.

This invention differs from Townsend and Durfees reel, patented in 1830 or 1331, in the following particulars: In the use of that reel it was necessary when a single length of thel walk or building was spun in yarns to lay the saine into rope and reel the saine before spinning a second length. In spinning a second length the threads or yarns were united vto the several threads or yarns already finished by splicing or spinning into them, and so a second part of the rope was made and reeled as before. By this process being repeated the rope was made of the desired length,but could not be made patent-formed without lacing or splicingin the strands of the threads or yarns.

This invention differs from the ordinary forn'iing-jaclts in use in the spindle to receive the portions of the strand kwhen formed, and in the gearing to guide the strand when reeled upon the spindles. It also differs from the layin acks in common use in havin g spindles to carry the indefinite length of strand, which at the saine time give the foreturn for laying, and a spindle to carry the indefinite length of rope as it is finished, at the same time giving the afterlturii for laying.

The terni formed rope sometimes called patent formed,77 implies that the yarns or threads of the several strands receive their relative place and bearing in the strand by the 'following process: A certain number of threads or yarns are passed through the center of a gage-plate, forming the center of the strand, while all the other threads or yarns forming the 'entire strand are arranged in circles around the center, each passing through the plate separately and receiving its exact and similar place in the strand, which is retained by the strand so formed being-passed through a close tube and followed by twist from the forming-j ack. This is what is called forming rope,7 and by the machinery yhitherto used ropes could not be formed to exceed the length of the building in which they were made. A

In making laced rope it was customary to form the strands the length of the walk, and cutting them off lay the part so formed into a rope. The part so finished was then reeled upon Townsend and Durfees reel and a new set of strands formed, which were joined to its corresponding strand on the reel by 'knotting the yarns two and two in each strand and hauling them together by lacing a yarn through the bends of yarn. This lacing occupied some six to eighteen inches, and the yarns in twisting in this place lost their bearings in the strand, as the outside yarns were drawn tight by winding round the centers, which became proportionately loose and made a weak'spot.

The forming of full-length strands 'could not have been done by any forming-jack constructed ony the principle involved in the reel of Townsend and Durfee hitherto patented, since in the use of that reel the rope or strand was passed through a hole or aperture in the forward bearing of the spindle and could not have been lreeled smoothly or without displacing the form of the strand. In the use of the new machinery, on the contrary, the most powerful stretch both of the strand and rope is maintained through every part of the process of the manufacture, which, adding greatly to the hardness land solidity of the rope, is altogether essential for railroad purposes.

The inventions in use in Europe by which twine and small cordage are made of great length in a square room, it is believed would utterly fail when introduced for the manufacture of railroad-rope for reason of the immense power 'that is necessary in the manuis adapted for receiving the rope While giv Size, often Weighing twenty thousand pounds, ing the after-turn, with the sliding block for in a single length of hard and solid rope. i winding on the rope after in is laid, as de- Vhat I Claim as new, and desire to secure l scribed.

by Letters Patent, is In testimony whereof I have hereunto set l. The combination of the spindle D, the my hand and seal, this 29th day of April, in

end of which is adapted to the reception of the yea-1' of om' Lord 18M.

the strand for forming, with the Slidin block 1 i n T 1 T or guide for `winding on after the strend is LDXVARD s" lo BSB D' formed, as described. I In presence 0ffaeturing ein rope of the great length and e 2. The combination of the spindle C in the JOSEPH STRONG,

machine for laying the r0pe,the end of which A. XV. HUNTINGTON, 

